AMATEURS
Three Commonwealth Games medallists to go straight into the Europeans
European championships preview
THERE is no rest for GB’S elite women’s boxing team. The Commonwealth Games only finished in April and, with a quick turnaround, they have to go straight into the European championships. Boxing begins in Sofia, Bulgaria on June 5 and concludes on June 12.
GB will be represented by two Commonwealth Games gold medallists in welterweight Sandy Ryan and middleweight Lauren Price.
Ryan is establishing herself in a new weight class. “I’ve not boxed everyone yet. Obviously you’ve got some good people. You’ve got the Russian who’s come down from 75kgs [Yaroslava Yakushina], who went to the Olympics. I’m not really threatened by anyone at the weight,” Sandy said. “She [the Russian] is quite bouncey and she’ll wait and wait and wait and jump in, throw a combination and get out. So she’s quite clever, to get the win. But I know what I’ll need to do to beat her. I’ve got to get it right on the day.”
Wales’ Price had been boxing at welterweight herself but moved to middle again for the Commonwealth Games. It paid off. Mobile, clever and fast the Welsh boxer was in good form in Australia and hopes that will translate to the Europeans. “I think because of my style I’m a lot quicker and a lot sharper, just because of the way I box as well. I like boxing on the backfoot, using my speed. Middleweight kind of suits me,” Lauren told Boxing News.
75kgs at these Europeans though is expected to feature Dutch Olympic medallist Nouchka Fontijin. They are old rivals. “It was years and years ago [when they boxed]. I was quite inexperienced,” Price said. “I suppose she’s coming to the end of her career, whereas I’m just starting… She’s tall. Most of these big girls are sluggish and they fall in. But even for her size she’s quite sharp, up on her toes, she can box on the front foot and the backfoot. And that’s why she’s an Olympic silver medallist. You can’t take anything away from her.
“I’m just looking forward to it. I can’t wait to get back in. As long as I perform, I’ll get results and hopefully I bring back another medal.”
A third Commonwealth Games gold medallist Lisa Whiteside was selected for the side but as Boxing News went to press the flyweight had to withdraw from the competition. A statement from GB Boxing said, “Lisa Whiteside has withdrawn from the 2018 EUBC European Women’s Boxing Championships for personal reasons and will not be travelling with the GB Boxing party to the tournament.” She will not be replaced.
The team at the Europeans however will feature lightweight Paige Murney, who was a silver medallist at Gold Coast 2018 herself. That was the 23-year-old’s first significant international tournament. Her success there bodes well for the future. “There was no expectation placed on me at the Commonwealth Games so
‘WIN THE GOLD OR EXIT FIRST ROUND, IT’S ALL REALLY VITAL IN YOUR DEVELOPMENT’
to win a silver medal was an amazing experience,” said Murney. “Travelling to Bulgaria is going to be another new experience however I think the standard at the European championships will be higher as there are so many strong boxing nations in Europe. To win a medal will be amazing and will show how far I have come in my career.”
Ebonie Jones at bantamweight (54kgs) will also be going for GB. Jones is considering an eventual move down to 51kgs, the Olympic weight class. A young boxer, already this year Ebonie has won the European under 22 championships. She now moves into the senior version.
“I’ve got back from the under 22s, won gold there, so this is another step up going into these,” Jones said. “The Europeans is the best of the best really. You’ve got Olympians, you’ve got women who will be a lot older than me, probably a lot more experienced.“
But training with the GB squad at the EIS in Sheffield, she’s confident. “It’s intense here. That’s why they have boxers winning gold medals at the Commonwealths, Olympics,” she says.
Representing England will be Demiejade Resztan at light-flyweight (49kgs) and Karriss Artingstall at featherweight (57kgs). Feather will be a new women’s weight class for the 2020 Olympic Games, as will be welterweight, so Artingstall’s performance will be significant.
One boxer who won’t be attending the Europeans is reigning middleweight champion Natasha Gale, who has been suspended from the GB squad for a disciplinary process. “Obviously a learning experience for herself,” performance director Rob Mccracken said.
“She came on to the programme through a talent initiative. She’s the only boxer on the programme through a talent initiative in my time here in nine years. So she didn’t have the grounding in the sport and the experience that the others have through national championships and have boxed for a number of years and have won this and won that, before they arrive at GB. She didn’t really have that. She was a novice. So I’m sure she’s found it difficult. She’s been fast-tracked. It gets a bit much at times, it’s all new to her and the pressures that come with that. But hopefully it’s a lesson learned.”
The tournament in Bulgaria will be a physical challenge for the boxers who have come straight from the Commonwealth Games. “Really challenging,” Mccracken said. “It is what it is. They moved it back a little bit [the dates were changed to take the competition to a new host country]. So hopefully that should help. But there’s no real pressure. It’s going to show us where we’re at two and a bit years before Tokyo and what’s needed to do. I remember taking two boxers to the Europeans in 2011. Neither of them won a medal. In the next 12 months they won silver at the Worlds and gold at the Olympics, so that tells you the importance of attending tournaments, whether you win the gold or exit first round it’s all really vital in your development.
“It’ll be tough because everybody’s going to start looking at where they’re at and get a foothold at the weight and a bit of a profile and get some form going. So it will be tough. It’s always tough.”
‘AS LONG AS I PERFORM, I’LL GET RESULTS AND BRING BACK ANOTHER MEDAL’